Support for pivoted seats



April 29, 1941. H. P. NORDMARK SUPPORT FOR PIVOTED SEATS Filed May 5, 1938 I5 Sheets-Sheet l S ma u 2. N n EB April 29, 1941. H. P. NORDMARK SUPPORT FOR PIVOTED SEATS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1938 N I N VEN TOR. ordmdrK A TTORN E YS.

April 29, 1941. H. P. NORDMARK SUPPORT FOR PIVOTED SEATS Filed May 5, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. .H r I 100181712112 BY M W I ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 29, 1941 SUPPORT FOR PIVOTED SEATS Henry P. N ordmark,

or to American Grand Rapids, Mich., assign- Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 5, 1938, Serial No. 206,102 (oi. 155-85) 4 Claims. The present invention relates to chairs having turnably mounted seats, and its object is to provide improved means for supporting such a seat in its lowered position of use.

This and any other and more specific objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention finds preferable embodiment in, the illustrative chair structure particularly described in the body of this specification and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a side portion of a chairs seat, its pivotal mounting and supporting means with connected parts, taken on line I-I of Figures 2, 7 and 8;

Figure 2 is an inner side view thereof, shown partially in section taken on line 2-2 of Figures 1 and 4;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of parts of the same taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of parts of the same taken on line 4-4 of Figures 2 and 6;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view of parts of the same taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective interior view of the same;

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the seat in raised position and partially sectioned on the same line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is an elevational side View of a chair embodying my invention.

In these drawings a theatre chair is shown having a seat I, leg standards 2 at its sides and a horizontal spindle 3 on the standards whereon the seat is supported for turning movement thereon to horizontal lowered or use position seen in Figures 1, 2, 7 and 8 and to raised position.

Only one side portion of the seat, the standard and the parts of the chair adjacent that side are illustrated in Figures 1-6, both of the chairs opposite side portions and the adjacent parts being desirably identical as indicated in Figures 7 and 8.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by these drawings, the spindle 3 extends through the bearing 4 in a metal plate 5 extending in cup form outwardly through an opening in the side 6 of the chairs metal base frame or pan I and is held in place by rivets 8. A toothed segment 9 is fixed on the outer end of this spindle concentrically therewith. A rigid bar, the flat plate Ill, has an elongated slot I I slidably bearing on the pin I2 extending therethrough and mounted on the seats side 6. This bar has an elongated opening l3 parallel with said slot and provided at one of its sides with a rack l4 meshing with the segment in said opening.

As the seat is turned on the spindle toward its lowered (horizontal) position of use, the bar is slid by this turning movement rearwardly on the seat until it is stopped by the limit of the mutual meshing engagement of the rack and the segment or by the abutting of the end I5 oi the slot on the pin I2, and preferably by both these means, in which stopped position of the bar the seat is supported thereby in lowered position; and as the seat is turned upwardly toward its raised position, the bar is slid forwardlyupwardly.

To yieldingly hold the seat against falling from raised position friction means are provided, the friction plates I6 pressed by the four-arm cup spring I! between disks I8 through which the pin I2 extends.

It will be seen that in the illustrated construction the bar (i. e., its rack I4) engages the spindle (i. e., its segment 9) eccentrically of the spindle.

It will also be seen that the segment 9 and plate or bar It with associated parts are housed in the hollow seat which protects them from dirt and injury and prevents the clothing of the occupant from being engaged between the meshing teeth of the segment and plate or bar.

The spindle, as illustrated, comprises a tubular part H; on which the seat turnably bears, this part extending tightly through an opening in a plate 20 and having a ring 2I in which its inner end is riveted or upset, said ring being tightly held at its opposite flat sides between said plate 28 and a bracket 22 secured on the side of the standard and having downwardly converging grooves 23 in which the correspondingly shaped edges 24 of this plate are wedgingly received; the spindle comprising also a cross-sectionally angular (square as shown) part 25 in the tubular part, with its angles 26 fitting into the tubular part as shown in Figure 5 to hold these parts against relative turning movement. It will be seen that this spindle is very rigid and very stably supported.

The outer end of the spindles part 25 extends tightly through square openings in the segment and in the inner disk 27, this part 25 being round at'ZB near its outer end and received in the round opening of the outer disk 29. The outer end of said part 25 has a head whereby the disks 2?, 29 are held in place with the segment therebetween. This segment in the particular confitruction illustrated is formed of three identical fiat members 9 as indicated in Figures 1 and 4 welded together.

In this particular construction coiled springs 3| pressing between the inner surface of the sides of the seat and the disks 2'! serve to resiliently balance the seat between the standards.

The invention being intended to be pointed out in the claims, is not to be limited to or by details of construction and arrangement of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawings or hereinbefore described.

I claim:

1. In a chair of the class described: a leg standard having a fixed horizontal spindle with a toothed segment fixed thereon; a seat turnable on the spindle to lowered use position and to raised position; and a bar slidable on the seat forwardly-rearwardly thereof, having a forwardly-rearwardly elongated opening with a toothed rack at one side thereof wherewith the "segment in the opening meshes in the seats turning movement, the bar being slid, by the seats downwardly turning movement, to a position wherein one end of the opening engages the segment therein for supporting the seat in its lowered use position.

2. In a chair of the class described: a leg standard having a fixed horizontal spindle with a toothed segment fixed thereon; a seat turnable on the spindle to loweredruse position and to raised position; and a bar slidable on the seat forwardly-rearwardly thereof, having a forwardly-rearwardly extending toothed rack wherewith the segment meshes in the seats turning movement, the rack having a terminal end engaging the segment in one extreme slid position of the bar, the bar being slid to its said extreme position by the seats downwardly turning movement to use position, for supporting the seat in its said position. I

3. In a chair of the class described: a leg standard having a fixed horizontal spindle with a toothed segment fixed thereon; a seat turnable on the spindle to lowered use position and to raised position and having a stop; and a bar slidable on the seat forwardly-rearwardly thereof and having a forwardly-rearwardly extending toothed rack wherewith the segment meshes in the seats turning movement, the rack having a terminal end engaging the segment in one extreme slid position of the bar, the bar being, by the seats downwardly turning movement to use position, slid to its said extreme position wherein the racks said terminal end engages the segment and the bar abuttingly engages said stop, for'supporting the seat in its lowered use position.

4. In a chair of the. class described: a leg standard having a fixed horizontal spindle with a toothed segment fixed thereon; a seat turnable on the spindle to lowered use position and to raised position and having a chamber into which the spindle extends and in which the segment is housed; a bar housed in the chamber, slidable on the seat forwardly-rearwardly thereof and having a forwardly-rearwardly extending rack wherewith the segment meshes in the seats turning movement; and means in the chamber for limiting the bars sliding movement to an extreme position wherein the seat in its lowered use position is supported on the bar.

HENRY P. NORDMARK. 

